CityLab Daily: America’s Mayors Convene in Shutdown City

Also: Roads are getting more dangerous for pedestrians, and the 2020 census is still in big trouble.

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What We’re Following

Going nowhere: It’s day 32 of the partial federal government shutdown, and there’s no end in sight even as the Senate votes Thursday on two dueling proposals to end the shutdown. One, backed by Republicans, includes President Trump’s request for a border wall; the other, backed by Democrats, joins the House of Representatives bill that would reopen the government without the wall. Both are expected to fail.

As we’ve said before, the situation is becoming increasingly urgent for mayors, who are convening in Washington this week, with the shutdown’s consequences leading their agenda. “Obviously, we’ll continue to express … the urgency of the moment, ‘the fierce urgency of now,’ to quote Dr. King,” said Steve Benjamin, the mayor of Columbia, South Carolina, and the president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. “We are dealing with some incredibly delicate, sensitive financial issues for some of these families; and making sure that we’re being principled and pragmatic in helping find the solution to the shutdown.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is scheduled to address the gathering of more than 250 bipartisan mayors later today. CityLab’s Sarah Holder is reporting from the conference; stay tuned for more.

Day 32. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)

Others aren’t waiting for Congress to mitigate the effects of a prolonged shutdown. Here are some updates:

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms tells Sarah that her city is looking to create a loan program to support federal workers, “beginning with TSA agents.” San Jose, California, is already doing something similar.

The D.C. Council unanimously passed an emergency bill that would shield the District’s 80,000 furloughed federal workers from evictions or foreclosures, right as they are slated to miss a second paycheck on Friday. (DCist)

Some furloughed employees have taken up side gigs like driving for Uber, but the ride-hailing company’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told CNBC that the shutdown is not how he would like to recruit new drivers.

Americans across the country—from a farmer’s market in Greensboro, North Carolina, to a relief agency in Philadelphia—are helping feed federal workers. (WaPo)